


I Can Be Your Friend

by CreativeBuzz



Category: Sex Education (TV)
Genre: Adam is a dick, Bully!Adam, Eric lies like a goddamn professional, Hidden Relationship, I know it’s “Tromboner” but I like “Trombona” better, M/M, alternate universe where Adam isn’t shipped off to military school, hidden friendship, jealous!Adam but also soft!Adam, meeting of the parents (or parent), this got a bit out of hand tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-17
Updated: 2019-01-17
Packaged: 2019-10-11 16:40:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17450573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CreativeBuzz/pseuds/CreativeBuzz
Summary: Eric and Anwar start to become more friendly. Adam has a hard time adjusting.





	I Can Be Your Friend

**Author's Note:**

> Also on tumblr @effoffqueen
> 
> Send prompts, guys
> 
> These boys are driving me crazy
> 
> If you're a fan of my writing and would like me to beta-read or edit your own fiction, check out my website, YourEnglishMajorFriend.com. I also offer proofreading and academic editing services as well!

Eric glances up at the sound of his name. Across the busy hallway, Anwar leans against a row of banana-yellow lockers. His hair, perfectly coiffed and gelled, shines under the fluorescent lights. 

“Nice shirt.” Anwar nods approvingly. 

Eric sucks in a delighted breath. Positively beaming, he replies, “Thank you! It was a gift, actually—”

“Shoes are hideous, though. Ruins the whole thing.” Anwar shakes his head. “Shame.” 

Eric struggles to come up with an adequate response for a moment or two, before Anwar continues. “You should come shopping with me. I’d never let you buy something that tragic.” 

Before Eric can contemplate his midnight fantasies suddenly becoming a reality before his very eyes, the locker beside his ear slams shut. He jumps and a heavy hand lands on the back of his neck to ground him. 

It’s Adam. 

The taller boy glances down at Eric, then over at Anwar, and a wolfish grin spreads across his face. 

“You look like two hens, steady clucking at each other. Hate to be the one to break it up, but I thought you might want at least one cock in the mix.” 

Eric clutches his chemistry book to his chest. He’s visibly wilting under the steady pressure of Adam’s hand. “We were just talking—”

Anwar interrupts. “If either of us is interested in being ripped apart by your freakishly gargantuan cock, we’ll let you know. Until then…” He levels Adam with a hard stare and sweeps his hand in a toot-a-loo fashion. 

Adam trades a glance with Eric that says I will fuck him up and Please don’t let yourself be seduced by him simultaneously. Eric sends back a brief Leave, now, please. Adam takes the hint and, after slamming his fist against the locker behind Eric’s head once for good measure, saunters off. 

Anwar, watching him go, mutters: “Fucking imbecile.”

Eric’s resounding laughter is painful to his own ears. “I know right.” 

*

Adam makes it a point to push him against the wall during detention that afternoon, press himself firmly into Eric’s backside, and ask, “Are you interested in being ripped apart by my freakishly gargantuan cock?” 

Eric, flustered, replies: “Um, no. Not interested in being ripped apart, thank you. And your dick is not freakish or gargantuan. It is beautiful. And above average.” 

Adam nuzzles his face into Eric’s neck and hums contentedly. “You mean that?” His words come out muffled.

“Yes. Now can I please turn around?” 

Adam lets up a bit, allowing Eric to turn in his arms. Once the smaller of the two is settled, he leans down and places a soft kiss on his awaiting lips. Eric makes a pleasurable sound in the back of his throat. 

“Don’t talk to Anwar anymore.” 

“What? Excuse me?” Eric splutters.

Adam drops his chin to look Eric in the eyes. “I don’t like it.” 

Eric huffs. “It’s not like that, Adam. Anwar’s not even my friend. He’s just the only other gay in this school. We have to interact sometimes. It’s like, the rules.”

Adam knocks his nose into Eric’s. “I don’t like it,” he says, enunciating every word.

Eric wriggles out from Adam’s hold. “You don’t have to like it. He talks to me once every full moon, if that, and I’m not going out of my way to avoid him just because my secret boyfriend is jealous. Now, come on. We have to finish setting up these chairs before six o’clock.” 

*

Eric’s promise—that Anwar only talks to him once in a blue moon—started out as true, before quickly evolved into a falsehood (through no fault of his own). 

Anwar, seemingly overnight, picked up a genuine fascination with the boy. One might even call it an appreciation. After going to the mall and spending five hours critiquing each other’s outfit choices, Anwar came to value how Eric always voiced his opinions. When a certain sales lady tried to sell Anwar on a blue-leopard print blazer, Eric gave her the dressing down of a lifetime. Now, Anwar could have easily done this himself, but it was convenient to not have to. After that, he wanted Eric along on all his shopping trips, and his study sessions, and his parties. 

That, ladies and gentlemen, is how Eric found himself dressing up for a party he never would’ve been invited to a year ago and lying to his boyfriend. 

“Aw. I can’t tonight, babe. I’ve got to write a paper for English. It’s due tomorrow and I totally—” Eric ceases talking to apply the tip to his winged liner. “Totally forgot about it until today.” English is the only class he and Adam don’t have together. 

“Trombonaaaaaaaa.” Adam groans. 

Eric sets his liner down on his makeup table. “I told you not to call me that now that we’re together.” 

He can practically hear Adam rolling his eyes through the phone. “Can’t you just… not write it?” 

It’s both easy and hard to lie to Adam. Easy because the alternative is not going to the party, and hard because… Adam gives zero fucks. 

“No, Adam. I actually plan on getting in to Uni.” 

“Fine.” Adam sighs. “Guess I’ll watch Beauty and the Beast by myself.” 

Eric slides on his ankle-strap heels one at a time. “You better not, Adam. I got the restored, remastered, Blu-Ray version so that we could watch it together. Entertain yourself another way. Now, I have to go. My mum’s calling me for dinner.” 

When Adam speaks, his voice is noticeably low. “Alright. Bye.” 

For a moment, Eric almost feels bad. He does wish he could see Adam. He does, but—they’re not a public item, so it’s not as though Eric could bring him along. And Adam has made his feelings about Anwar abundantly clear. To admit to going to his party would be to admit to hanging out with him multiple times over the past month and… Eric wasn’t sure he could handle the fallout from that. 

So he just said, “I’m sorry. I’ll miss you. Have a good night. Bye.” 

*

Anwar’s entryway was longer than most people’s driveways. 

“Are these all kids from our school?” Eric asks, looking around with his eyebrows raised. Everyone’s dressed like sophisticates and hell-raisers. They very well could be kids from his school, but they seem… cleaner. Better, in an indefinable way.

Anwar waves a disinterested hand. “It’s a mix. Who knows, really.” 

Eric nods. “Right.” 

“Come on.” Anwar grabs his arm. “We’ll get drinks, catch up with Ruby and Olivia, then do a lap.” 

Eric follows where he leads, enraptured meanwhile by the epic splendor of Anwar’s family home.

*

Adam rings the doorbell and takes to biting the plastic end of his hoodie string while he waits. 

The door opens. It’s a kindly looking African woman, wearing a patterned apron. She eyes him cautiously, a wary smile on her face. 

Adam stands up straighter. “I’m here to study. With, uh, Eric.” He holds up his notebook in the air like it’s evidence. 

The woman, Eric’s mum, wipes her hands on her apron. “Eric is not here. He left an hour ago.”

Adam licks his lips. “Sorry, where did he leave to?” 

She shakes her head. “I don’t know. A party, or something like that. I tell him you came—?”

“Adam,” Adam offers. 

She smiles. “I tell him you came, Adam. Goodbye.” She shuts the door. 

Adam mills around the front of the Effiong house until he thinks up a plan. Pressing several digits he wishes weren’t ingrained in his memory into his phone, he places the phone to his ear. 

“What do you want, Adam?” Aimee bitches into the line. 

Adam grimaces. He wishes he had somewhere else to turn to, but this is it. “Aimee, don’t hang up. I need to know—are there any parties happening tonight?” 

She scoffs. “Well, you’d know if you were invited to one, wouldn’t you?” 

“Aimee. Aimee,” he lowers his voice. “I swear, if you don’t help me, I will tell everyone about the horse face you make when you cum.” 

“I never came with you, Dickwad.” 

“Well then the horse face you make when you fake cum. Even worse.”

“Fuck you! Anwar’s hosting a get together thing at his house. I wasn’t even invited and I—”

“Don’t care,” Adam interrupted. “Gimme his address.” 

“This is the last time you ever use this on me. Got it?” 

“Yeah, Horse Face. Just give me the address.” 

*

Breaking into Aimee’s house seemed easy in comparison to Anwar’s. His house is smooth stone, with none of the exterior plumbing one might see on an older house. In the end, Adam ends up breaking a window. It’s a small one, though; close to the ground and just large enough for him to shimmy through. He cuts himself on a bit of glass, but barely registers the pain before he’s tumbling into Anwar’s basement. The muddy pulse of EDM music leaks through the ceiling and sends Adam’s already spiked heart rate even higher. 

Eric better fucking be here. 

Wait. 

He better not fucking be here. 

Yeah.

*

The group of people encircling them burst into uproarious laughter. 

Eric swipes a tear from his eye and uses the hand that was previously clutching his stomach to touch Anwar’s arm. “You are so funny!” he proclaims. 

Anwar cocks an eyebrow, like I know, then flies face forward off the couch. 

The collective laughter is replaced by collective gasps. 

“What the fuck!?” Anwar yells from the ground. 

Eric looks up and freezes like a deer in headlights. “Adam!?” 

Adam doesn’t acknowledge him. Instead, he stares stonily ahead. The only sign of his agitation being the throbbing vein in his neck. 

“How did you get in here? Who let him in?” Anwar questions, jumping to his feet and casting a poisonous glance around the room. Finally, his gaze falls back on Adam. “Leave. Now.”

Adam uses one hand to vault over the couch. He sidles up to Anwar and puts his face close to his. “Who’s gonna make me?” 

Anwar swallows. The bully stands at least four inches taller than him and has a look in his eyes like he’s ready to fuck shit up. 

“I’ll call the police,” Anwar threatens. 

Adam holds out his hands and falls back on the couch. “I’ll wait.” 

“Come on, Adam.” Eric pleads. “Why not just go? I’ll walk you out.” Eric sits forward, jostling Adam’s leg in the process. 

Adam doesn’t even look at him. “Why not stay? I’m having a good time. This is fun.” 

Anwar picks up his cellphone and starts punching in numbers. 

Eric grabs hold of Adam’s forearm and stands. “Come on. Please, Adam.” 

Adam finally meets his eye, allows himself to be dragged up, then viciously yanks his arm from Eric’s grasp. Only to then wrap his large bicep around Eric’s neck and pull him into a soft chokehold. 

“If I have to leave, you have to leave too.” He says, hauling Eric alongside him on his way out of the drawing room. 

“Hey!” Anwar calls after them. 

“It’s fine, Anwar! I’m fine! You can hang up now. He’s leaving.” Eric says just before they reach the hallway. 

“How the fuck do you get out of this place?” Adam asks. 

“On your right, then straight ahead.” Eric coughs. “Loosen up, Adam.” 

“Shut up,” Adam replies, although he does loosen his grip. 

*

When they’re half-way through the yard, Adam releases Eric. The cool night air is a welcome relief from Adam’s humid, musty armpit. 

Eric smacks his arm. “How dare you?” He rubs his neck, feigning discomfort. He’s hoping the conversation will go a little better if he’s also one of the wronged parties. 

“How dare I?” Adam points to his own chest. “How dare I?” He gets up closer to Eric, invading his personal space. “You lied.”

Eric nods, his lips pursed. “Yes. I did. I thought you might not be able to handle my having a new friend. I was wrong, obviously. You handled this much better than I thought, Adam. Well done.” 

Adam squeezed his eyes in frustration and shook his head vigorously. “No, don’t you try and turn this around, Trombona. I told you how I felt about Anwar. You said I had nothing to worry about.” 

“And you don’t!” 

“So how come, when I come in, you’re all over him? Laughing? Touching him and shit?!” 

Eric places a hand on his hip and pinches the bridge of his nose with the other. “That stuff doesn’t mean anything. We’re just friends. That’s it!” 

Adam put his hands on Eric’s waist and pulls him close. “Why do you need him when you’ve got me?” 

“Because, Adam! Because… it’s different. You’re not gay. I don’t know what you are. It doesn’t even matter. What I’m trying to say is… I always wanted someone I could go shopping with. Otis doesn’t like it and my mother’s always trying to force me into ugly stuff from the clearance section.” Eric sighs, finally relaxing into Adam’s grip. “You’re not feminine, Adam. You don’t notice what shoes I’m wearing. Ever. When I ask, “Does my makeup look alright?” You just grunt, “More glitter.” I can’t do all the things I want to do, or talk about all the things I want to talk about, with you. I need friends.” 

Adam stands there, listening intently, with his bottom lip poking out. When Eric is done, he nods once. Then, using his foot to swipe Eric’s feet out from under him, lowers them both to the ground. Eric squeals. Suddenly, Adam is lying on top of him. It’s just like when they first kissed. 

“You never asked me to go shopping with you,” Adam states. He plucks out a bit of grass from Eric’s hair and blows it off his finger. “I would.” 

Eric cocks his head. “You wear the same jacket and hoodie every single day. I didn’t think you had any interest.” 

Adam blows out a long sigh. “I don’t really. But I want you to be able to do everything with me. I don’t want you going to Anwar for something I can give you.” 

Eric breathes slowly through his nose. “You’re really not going to let this go?” 

Adam shoves his face into Eric’s neck. “No. And if you ever lie to me again, I will bite your balls off one at a time.” For emphasis, he sinks his teeth into Eric’s shoulder. 

“Ah.” Eric moans. 

“You like that?” Adam asks, a smirk in his voice. He grinds himself into Eric’s soft body.

“Adam, Adam.” Eric pushes on his shoulders. “Not in the front yard. Not in the front yard. Get off me. Come on. Let’s go.”


End file.
